**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)


After the harrowing battle they had just endured, of course victory couldn't be within their reach yet. That would be too easy for the heroes of the universe, now wouldn't it?

"Paladins, brace for impact!" Keith quickly instructed. "Hunk! Help us with Shiro!"

The Yellow Lion landed and Hunk hurried down the ramp. He easily lifted Shiro like a sack of potatoes, holding onto his limp body in a fireman's carry. Shiro didn't even grunt at the sudden movement, his consciousness waning as his exhaustion caught up to him. They started towards the Yellow Lion when the unknown object crashed into the surface behind them. The ground rippled and cracked and the Black Lion leapt between them and the impact sight, providing a moment of coverage as swirling clouds of dust and debris raced their way. The storm swallowed them, the wind knocking them right off their feet. Locating their respective paladins through the dense air, the Yellow and Black Lions scooped them up, saving them before they could be thrown back to earth.

Gasping and struggling to steady their racing hearts, Hunk and Mari made their way into the Yellow Lion's cockpit with Shiro in tow. Outside, the dust began to settle, revealing what had slammed into Earth: a gleaming, humanoid, silver mech wielding a halberd. It glowed with the purple light of dark magic, and Mari's mouth went dry upon seeing it.

"Hunk, get them to the Atlas!" Keith ordered. "We'll cover you."

"Got it!" he replied, and Mari helped him lower Shiro to the floor. She held onto him while Hunk took the pilot's seat, keeping him steady as the Yellow Lion went airborne.

"Commander Holt, we're on our way to the Atlas," Mari relayed over their comms. "Takashi's hurt. He needs medical attention."

"Copy that," Sam replied. "The medics will be ready to receive you."

The Atlas had settled down not too far from where the lions were currently fighting the mysterious mech. As the Yellow Lion landed in front of the airship, stray shots from the battle zipped dangerously close to them, scorching the ground around them and shaking both ships. One of the Atlas' hangar doors had opened and several medics in hazmat suits, including Aaren, were waiting there for them. With Hunk carrying Shiro, they departed from the lion and entered the ship.

A pair of medics gingerly took their unconscious captain from the paladin. "We've got it from here," one of them assured him, and Hunk nodded, grateful. Then he quickly turned to hop back into his lion and took off into the skies, joining the others to fight.

The Atlas hummed beneath them as it took off. While the medics whisked Shiro away to be examined, Mari hurried down the halls, on her way to the bridge. Aaren and Tammy nervously trailed after her.

"You need to get checked in the med-bay too," Aaren insisted.

Mari yanked off her helmet, her forehead beaded with sweat. Her pace never slowed as she continued towards the bridge. "I'm fine."

Tammy clutched a tablet in her hands, scanning her. "Nothing's broken or severely damaged, but you're pretty banged up," she reported. "You need to rest."

The ship lurched and Tammy yelped as they were nearly thrown off their feet. Mari grit her teeth, the glow of the foreign mech's magic flashing in her mind. "I'm not resting until that thing is wiped off Earth."

They entered the bridge just as another blast from the mech rocked the Atlas. Alarms blared, alerting them to the damage being dealt to their systems. Romelle and Kosmo sat hunched near the door, quiet and fearful in the face of this new enemy.

"Coran, what do we know about that thing?" Mari asked, racking her brain for a potential solution to help the paladins beat it.

"It's energy levels are off the charts. It's beating the lions!" Coran reported. "It's similar to one of Zarkon's robeasts!"

"Or Lotor's Sincline," Romelle murmured, her frown deepening as she watched the thing brutality throw around the lions.

A robotic beast infused with a magical power that could rival Voltron. Besides Allura, there was only one other woman in the entire universe who was capable of such a thing. Mari's hands curled into fists at her side, an inescapable feeling of dread pooling in her stomach.

Another shot from the robeast streamed toward them. The particle barrier fritzed as it raised, only to disintegrate when the blast made impact. The bridge shook and more alarms chirped.

"Every hit takes out the shield in an instant. Our systems are weakening," Veronica admitted, her expression frantic. "Scarlett's doing what she can to keep the generators from frying, but they won't hold for much longer."

Outside, the lions fired at the beast, drawing its attention away from the airship.

"Atlas, we need you to hold the beast back temporarily so we have time to form Voltron," Keith said over the comms. "It's the only way we're gonna beat this thing."

"Affirmative," Coran replied.

The lions rose into the air and the Atlas aimed its cannons at the robeast. They relentlessly pounded the thing with shots, stirring up black clouds of smoke all around it. The beast soared into the sky, escaping the assault, and returned fire. The particle barrier raised again, just barely able to block the shots, but the Atlas still quivered rhythmically beneath each blow.

"What's our next move?" Iverson asked.

"Oh…This ship is so different from the Castle of Lions," Coran fretted, frantically glancing at his control panel. "I…uh…"

Before he could come to a decision, the bridge doors slid open and Shiro ran up to take his spot on the central platform. "Coran, hold course," he instructed.

"Oh, thank the ancients you're here," Coran sighed in relief.

The two medics in the room looked miffed by his sudden appearance. "Sir, what about your injuries?" Aaren demanded.

"I'll be fine," he promised. "It was nothing too serious."

Aaren huffed and folded his arms over his chest disbelievingly, but dared not yell at his reckless superior. "All you Shiroganes are stubborn as hell," he mumbled, and Tammy placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Shields report," Shiro requested, turning to Veronica.

"They're at seventy percent!" she replied.

"Iverson, the port side cannons."

"They're fully charged."

"Shields down!"

Veronica lowered the particle barrier, granting the shielding system a slight reprieve. The cannons whined as they prepared to unleash their scorching beams.

"Fire!" Shiro prompted, and a series of laser blasts soared upwards.

Above them, the robeast twirled its weapon, now shifted into a double bladed scythe, with so much speed and force, it deflected their attack. The cannon shots rained down around the Atlas, pounding the ship and tearing up the ground below.

"We lost an energy inverter on two cannons. Diverting power!" Sam relayed over their comms.

The robeast held its weapon at the ready and charged the Atlas, more than ready to slice it to shreds. Everyone tensed, preparing for the inevitable impact. Then a blue beam of energy streaked down from the clouds, pummeling the robeast and driving it into the earth before it could make contact with the aircraft.

"Thanks for covering for us, Atlas," Keith said as Voltron appeared before them. It landed on the ground in front of the robeast, ready to take it on.

"Coran, take us up to covering fire position," Shiro urged. "Iverson, once those cannons come back online, we'll need to give Voltron some support."

Coran quickly took the Atlas up, moving further away from the battle between mechs as it commenced. The robeast's weapon glowed and transformed into a double bladed scimitar, of which it promptly split into two wicked-looking blades. It brandished them with fluid ease and skill before barreling towards its opponent.

The robeast wasn't the only one capable of dual wielding. Two glowing blue swords materialized in the jaws of the Red and Green Lions, and were lifted just in time to block the enemy's strike. Their giant blades clashed and clanged, sending up brilliant orange sparks upon impact. The robeast emitted a beam of energy, blasting Voltron's swords out of its hands and leaving it open to attack. The beast pounced on it, jumping into the air with its blades angled downward in a stabbing position. Voltron activated its shield, holding it up to block them, but they sliced right through it. The beast's blades buried into Voltron's shoulders, crackling and glowing brighter as the wispy light of pure quintessence was extracted from the hero.

"Launch fighters!" Shiro exclaimed, fear overtaking his features as Voltron fell to its knees.

The recharged MFEs scrambled and took off from the hangars. They zipped towards the robeast, pelting it with shots that uselessly bounced off its metal skin. It did almost nothing to distract the monster from its task, but it gave Voltron enough time to manifest an arm cannon. The barrel pressed against the beast's head and fired, the blast powerful enough to send it flying off. The MFEs swarmed the fallen robot, firing at it and keeping it preoccupied while the paladins recovered.

"Paladins, what happened?" Shiro asked when Voltron didn't get up right away. "Are you okay?"

Hunk grunted. "Those blades…they sapped our energy," he said, thin and strained.

"It felt like...the Komar," Pidge moaned.

"It's magic. Haggar sent it here," Mari frowned, more sure of it now than ever.

"What? But she hasn't been seen in years," Scarlett reminded her, piping up over the comms.

"Why – Why did she send it to Earth?" Lance whimpered, the very act of speaking draining him. "How…could she have known Voltron would be here?"

"Sendak must've told her," Shiro realized. "He's been working for her since she brought him to the Kral Zera."

"She must've been building this all that time in hiding, waiting for Voltron to return to Earth," Mari said, the pool of dread expanding inside her. "A robeast that could finally beat Voltron."

"We're not done yet," Keith growled, and Voltron slowly began to rise, only to collapse again, the legs wobbling unsteadily. "MFE pilots, fall back. Those blasts can vaporize you."

"Keith's right. You've successfully drawn its fire," Shiro agreed. "Rendezvous with the Atlas ASAP."

"Roger that," James confirmed, and he led his squad back to the ship.

With the MFEs out of the way, the robeast focused on the immobile hero. Blades flashing in the sun, it launched itself at them.

"The enemy has turned its attention back to Voltron, sir," Veronica warned.

"Sam, how are those cannons?" Shiro pressed.

"Coming back online now," Sam reported.

"Fire!"

The Atlas released a single golden beam and it slammed into the beast, preventing it from reaching Voltron. It pushed the enemy backwards, putting a good amount of distance between them. But as the smoke settled, the robeast hurled its swords at the aircraft, the blades cutting through the air at an incredible speed. They were mere seconds away from slicing the entire ship in twain.

"Shields up!" Shiro shouted, and Veronica's fingers flew as she activated the particle barrier just in the nick of time. The swords slammed into it, sending up sparks as they ground against the barrier. In a flash of light, the shield was obliterated, shaking the Atlas to its very core. Alarms rang and the bridge flashed with red warning lights.

"We've lost shields!" Veronica cried out, unable to keep the panic from creeping into her voice.

"Scarlett!" Shiro prompted, hoping she had a solution.

"The particle barrier generators are fried!" she regretfully admitted. "They'll take vargas to fix!"

The robeast's blades zipped back into its hands. A hatch in its chest opened up and a sizzling mass of dark energy began to form, growing larger by the second. It was unleashed upon the Atlas in a shrieking blast, the beam ramming into the bow of the ship with so much intensity, it physically pushed the aircraft back. The bridge tilted and the crew held on to whatever they could to stop themselves from falling.

"It's destabilizing the molecular reflection arrays!" Sam warned them.

"Pull out of range!" Shiro urged, but as Coran tried to bring the Atlas up, the beast hit them with two more beams of the same caliber. With their shields down, it wouldn't be long before they were sent plummeting.

Below them, Voltron finally regained enough strength to jump back into the battle. Two blades in hand, it surged forward, dodging the enemy's blasts and closing the space between them. It brought its swords down on the robeast, but the hit was parried. The monster tried to strike and Voltron dodged. It flipped over the beast and swung at its back, only for the thing to duck and elbow its opponent right in the face. Voltron was nearly sent sprawling and it almost crashed right into a civilian work camp. Taking notice of the nearby lives endangered by their fight, Voltron soared up and away from Earth's surface and the robeast quickly followed after it. They disappeared into the clouds, nothing more than colliding dots to the crew of the Atlas.

"We can't get a clear shot!" Iverson reported.

"Rerouting power!" Sam informed them. Shiro's jaw clenched, frustrated that they were in such a helpless position.

Suddenly, blue beams rained down around them from the aerial battle raging above, smashing into the ground in a series of fiery explosions. One struck the Atlas dangerously close to the bridge, and its inhabitants screamed as they were knocked backwards, a sweltering heat engulfing the room. Machinery sparked, displays flickered, and the lights blew out, casting them into darkness.

When all had gone quiet, Shiro groaned, and those who had once been standing slowly hauled themselves back up to their feet. He glanced around the room, taking stock of their situation. "Is everyone okay?" he asked, and he was met with several weak confirmations. "What's our status?"

"Stabilizing thrusters are gone," Coran said, his hands returning to his controls. "I'm attempting to override."

"The cannons are offline again, all of them," Iverson answered.

"Initiating backup generators," Sam piped up, and the lights flickered back on.

Outside, having been forced back down to Earth, Voltron had been pinned by the robeast. Its blades were buried in the hero's shoulders once more, draining it and the paladins of their quintessence. Voltron jerked, unable to even lift an arm to protect itself. The light trembled in its eyes before going out.

"No…" Shiro whispered, his face twisting in anguish. Mari's heart hammered inside her aching chest, and as she checked the ring on her finger, its soft blue light had dimmed. She held her breath, praying to any god that would listen to help the paladins.

Its opponent lifeless and unresponsive, the robeast removed its blades from Voltron and rose to its full height to face the Atlas. The hatch in its torso opened again, building up another ball of dark energy. The blast raked along the bottom of the airship, and more alarms blared in response to the heavy damage.

"Shiro, the shields aren't back and we don't have countermeasures!" Coran shrilled. "What do we do?"

"Captain, cannons are still offline!" Iverson relayed.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Veronica pressed.

"It's got us in its sights!"

"I'm rerouting power, but we're at least five minutes out!"

"It's charging up for another attack! What do we do, Shiro?"

The noise of panic filled the bridge as the crew turned to their leader, desperate for an answer that would save them all. Shiro's expression was blank and he stiffly stood there, unresponsive. Shocked and overwhelmed and despairing, he was on the verge of dissociating from it all. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, Mari could feel him startle beneath her touch. He blinked, reeled back to reality, and looked at her, a pleading light in his eyes.

"Breathe," she said, gentle but firm, and that one word seemed to burn away his encroaching desperation. A silent understanding passed between them: this wasn't over yet. Patience yields focus.

Placing his hands on his control panel, Shiro closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Deep inhale, hold, slow exhale. When he reopened them, they were bright with an idea.

"Bring us up," he instructed, his command unwavering in his certainty. "Set coordinates for the upper atmosphere."

Coran's brow furrowed, hesitant. "But Voltron…"

"Just trust me," Shiro requested, and Coran didn't argue with him as he took the Atlas up. "Commander Holt, I need all the power we've got."

"Copy that."

"Atlas crew, hold tight!" Shiro advised the residents ship-wide.

The Atlas hummed all around them, a strange but pleasant energy filling the air. The veins and seams within the ship began to glow, and their computers whirred and clicked as the displays changed. The solid clunking and scraping of metal thundered all around them as the aircraft transformed into an enormous mech. Everyone gawked at their captain, unable to believe what he had just done.

"Shiro!" Scarlett squealed over their comms, snapping them out of their stupor. "This is amazing! The Altean magic infused in your arm, it – it's linked you with the Atlas! You made it turn into an absolute hunk of a robot!"

She sent the images of the transformed battleship to their main screens for all of them to see. Shiro's prosthetic glowed dimly as he stared at it in awe.

"It's super thicc!" Tammy blurted in admiration, and Veronica snorted while Curtis choked on air.

"You made a big brother for Voltron," Mari realized, a half-hearted chuckle in her voice as she looked at Shiro.

"I got the inspiration from you," he said, granting her a soft and grateful smile, and her heart swelled with pride. A fiery resolve flared behind his gaze as he said, "Now, let's see what this big bro can do!"

At his command, they rushed back towards Earth. The robeast was practically an ant beneath them now, and the Atlas raised a massive fist to squash it. They pounded into the surface, crumbling the earth beneath them and kicking up a storm of dirt and chunks of building-sized rocks. The robeast scrambled to avoid being flattened, zooming to safety as its new opponent loomed over them. Locking onto their target, the Atlas raised an arm and fired its cannon, sending the beast fleeing into the air as the deadly beam razed the ground. The Atlas stood protectively over Voltron's prone form, daring the enemy to try reaching it now.

"Paladins, are you there?" Shiro asked. "What's your status?"

"We're here," Keith replied, his voice tight. "How did you…"

"The superior power of Altean tech and magic!" Scarlett whooped.

"We've got you covered," Shiro assured them, and the rest of the bridge nodded in agreement.

"Hostile returning for another pass," Veronica warned, tracking the beast on her screens.

"Get me eyes on the target!"

The bridge veered sharply as the Atlas turned to face the robeast. It was streaming towards them, releasing a blast of energy. The Atlas raised its hand and easily blocked the attack with its palm. The monster paused, considering the giant mech. Glowing a sickly purple, it grabbed its weapon and split it into two sickles before charging them. The Atlas moved to smack the tiny fly into the ground, when the robeast suddenly produced a ghost-like double that grew to the size of the ship. It blocked their punch and shoved them back, the double disappearing as the beast repositioned itself. The Atlas stumbled to maintain its balance and tried to swipe at the enemy again. The robeast dodged and circled around them, its massive double manifesting once more and delivering a blow to the back. The Atlas crashed to its knees, and like a mosquito, the robeast sank its blades into the ship, sucking the energy out of it.

The bridge crew groaned, rendered immobile as their life force was sapped. The lights flickered off and the comms were filled with static. But outside, Voltron had gotten up. Sword ablaze and booster rockets activated, it soared around the Atlas before impaling the robeast through the opening in its chest, stopping it from finishing off their allies. Black lightning danced from the robeast as energy leaked from its failing systems. Then in a brilliant burst of light, it exploded, slamming Voltron to the ground and splitting it apart into five lions.

The Atlas crew stirred, their strength gradually returning.

"Did…Did they do it?" Romelle croaked, the first to break the silence. "Did we win?"

They all squinted out the windows. Several tense minutes dragged by before the dust settled, revealing the lions carrying the unresponsive form of the robeast. They were bringing it into the sky, moving farther and farther away from them and Earth.

"What are they doing?" Coran murmured and a sense of unease settled over the bridge.

"Paladins, can you hear me?" Shiro called out to them, but he received no response. Their systems were still offline.

Fear grasped at Mari's heart. Tugging on her helmet, she pulled up her gauntlet displays and adjusted the settings, patching herself through to the lions.

"Paladins, are you there?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice calm.

There was a crackle of static before Keith answered. "We're here. What's the status of the Atlas?"

"Everyone's fine. We've just lost power," she rushed to explain. "What's going on?"

"The robeast is about to self-destruct. We're getting it away from Earth before it can take out half the planet."

"But what about you guys?"

There was a pause from him. "We won't be able to escape the blast radius in time."

His reply was quiet, detached. The lions had surged beyond the clouds, disappearing into the upper atmosphere. With them out of sight, Mari's breathing quickened, her anxiety heightening as she realized just exactly what he was implying.

"No…No, no, you can't do this to me again," she whispered, her voice breaking. Her eyes stung and tears clouded her vision. She vainly grabbed at her chest, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed. "Don't leave me alone again. You promised you wouldn't…"

"I'm keeping our promise," he murmured, his tone impossibly gentle, as if he could see the tears dripping down her cheeks. "I won't break my word."

"You can't control that anymore." She shook her head, her gasps coming in hot spurts. Her knees felt weak, threatening to buckle. Shiro wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her steady. His eyes swirled with grief despite being unable to hear the details of what was going on with the paladins. "How am I expected to trust you now?"

"Because I still need to confess to you. And I'm not missing that for anything."

Keith sounded more sure of it than anything else, and it made Mari's breath catch in her throat. Under any other circumstances, she was positive he would've smirked and maybe laughed at her reaction. But now, there was nothing but a sad smile in his voice.

"I'll see you soon," he promised with an unshakable certainty. "Remember to catch us when we fall."

Her comms went to static and a pinprick of light glinted high above them, well beyond her reach. Then the five Voltron lions plummeted to Earth, finally free.


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